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Edward Lampert probably does not appreciate being named the worldâs best paid hedge fund manager. According to Alpha magazine, he earned $1bn (â¬854m) last year, thanks to arranging the merger of faded US retailers Kmart and Sears Roebuck.

Last time the head of ESL Investments’ wealth was highlighted, he was kidnapped at gunpoint from the garage of his Connecticut office. The gang handcuffed Lampert in a motel bathtub and fed him fried chicken, threatening to kill him unless they received a ransom.

He persuaded them to release him after two days by promising to leave $40,000 in a rubbish bin outside a Wendy’s hamburger shop in Greenwich. The kidnappers’ obsession with fast food eventually proved their downfall, however. They were arrested after using Lampert’s credit card to order pizza.